Brand Champions

Do Not Forget to Include Students in the Education Brand Development Process

A few days ago I posted a few thoughts about the importance of including parents in the education brand development process. Well, do not forget to include their sons and daughters too. I was reminded of that yesterday during a brand engagement session when meeting with a couple of groups. The insights and responses of students to brand strategy drafts are critical to the sustainability of a P-20 brand, higher education brand or K-12 brand.

While we do not like to call them customers in the education world, they are. No school can or should exist without the right students and their parents. So, why are they often left out to the brand building process? Because too many times, in education or outside, marketing professionals get a few people together in a room and knock out a tagline and call that branding.

Branding is the process of aligning an organization's internal culture with its external reputation. In regards to an education brand, internal stakeholders would be faculty, staff, students, parents and others. External stakeholders would include prospective stuents and parents. Getting them involved ensures alignment. An adopted brand strategy will be targeted to them, so why not get them involved before the brand strategy is adopted? They will be your brand champions.

Rex Whisman

BrandED Consultants Group

Brand Champion of the Day-Egypt

@AJEnglish, @monaeltahawy, #Egypt, #tahrir. These are just some of the threads and people tweeting, posting and blogging about the remarkable events of the past few weeks in Egypt. Feel free to join the conversation. On Mondays and Fridays I feature someone, some organization or some nation as the Brand Champion of the Day. Those passionate advocates who defend a brand.Today I think it is appropriate to say a few words about Egypt and their people.

Rarely does one witness in one's lifetime, people who are willing to die for a cause, or in this case to re-brand their nation. Like others, I did not know what to make of the situation a few weeks ago. Like other situations, I thought that the government would defy the "demonstrators" and cities like Cairo would go back to business as usual. Not in 21st century Egpyt. In other nations around the world, people are understanding or rediscovering what it means to be a brand champion. They are using the Internet as a way to share their voice and their advocacy around the world.

The Internet has few borders and provides the opportunity to recruit and retain brand champions around the world. The Internet allows most to see and hear what is happening in real time. The Internet expects transparency and results. In Tunisia, and now Egypt nations are establishing a new identity. Perhaps their people are redefining what it means to be a nation brand champion.

Rex Whisman

BrandED Consultants Group

National Mall in Washington, D.C.-Home to Brand Champions

Today I am in Washington, D.C., one of my favorite cities. I always try to get the earliest flight out possible so that no matter how tight my business schedule is, I can hopefully spend at least a few hours at the National Mall. That is my intent later this afternoon. George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Franklin Roosevelt, Thomas Jefferson, World War II veterans and others are given their appropriate honor on the National Mall.

When I walk the tree-lined streets of the mall and soak in the larger than life institutions and monuments, I think about the brave men and women who helped shape the United States. These are true champions of the USA brand. They understand the importance of mission, core values and country. They are what every brand hopes to attain, the ability to recruit and retain brand champions. The opportunity for future generations to be inspired by the brand.

I look forward to experiencing the emotions associated with a nation brand this afternoon and feel a since of pride in aligning my brand with others while I spend a few hours at the home of brand champions.

Rex Whisman

BrandED Consultants Group

Engaging Parents Results in Champions for Education Brands

As I have mentioned numerous times, my organization is currently working on a national education brand initiative connecting P-20 schools throughout the United States with a common identity. It could be the first of its kind. Whether that is the case or not, one aspect of this and other projects we have worked on is true. Engaging parents in the brand development process enhances the ability of schools to recruit and retain brand champions.

I have been a strong advocate of parent engagement since I began working with schools dating back to my days as a social studies teacher. When parents are aware of what is going on, have an understanding about your mission and are given the opportunity to share their voice, they become champions for education brands. Now that I am a brand consultant for schools, I am an even bigger proponent of parent engagement.

Parents are increasingly asked, expected and in many cases want to play a larger role in their sons and daughters educational experience. Unfortunately too often that is working at a concession stand or carpooling. Schools miss the boat when they do not provide parents with similar opportunities to align the internal culture and external reputation of their school. Call me crazy, but shouldn't we allow those who are paying taxes and tuition to be a part of the education brand development process? But that is just me.

Rex Whisman

BrandED Consultants Group

Brand Champion of the Day-Courtyard by Marriott

Earlier this week a colleague of mine and I were in Pasadena, CA as part of a national education brand initiative that we are working on. We were meeting with stakeholders from two area high schools and facilitating meetings to get their responses to brand platform and visual identity concepts. The sessions were fantastic and the project is great.

Our hotel experience was wonderful too. I cannot always state that fact when on the road. A hotel is a big part of the business travel world. I had not stayed in a Courtyard by Marriott for a while. I will need to make sure the time between is not so long next time. We stayed in one of the renovated properties that has a lobby/business center/restaurant all in one.

It was terrific to be able to work on our project, peek at the Super Bowl, grab a bite to eat, tweet, blog and repond to emails all from the comfort of a large table. For your insights into the needs of the business traveler, well anyone in the 21st century for that matter, I tip my hat to you, Courtyard by Marriott as the Brand Champion of the Day. I anticipate you are going to recruit and retain many brand champions.

Rex Whisman

BrandED Consultants Group

Brand Champion of the Day-The King's Speech

If I am not mistaken, this is the first time I have named a movie as the Brand Champion of the Day. I do not watch many movies. For some reason I tell myself that I do not have the time and should devote my attention to more productive endeavors. A couple of weeks ago, I needed a break and was long overdue to go see a movie. I saw The King's Speech. I am so glad that I did.

What a wonderful story. I was inspired by the movie to do more. I was inspired to write this post from a story I read last Saturday by Lindsey Tanner of the Associated Press. Lindsey's piece highlights young people who have the same impediment as England's King George VI, who was wonderfully portrayed by Colin Firth. Apparently 1 percent of people around the globe are challenged at an early age with stuttering. Most outgrow it I am told.

I am not easily star-struck, but I must admit that Firth and Geoffrey Rush made quite an impression. They have honed their craft as well as anyone can. Here is to King George, The King's Speech and anyone who helps champion the brands of those who face the challenges brought on by stuttering. You are the Brand Champion of the Day.

Rex Whisman

BrandED Consultants Group

What is in a Name? Brand Equity

The past few days there has been a lot of talk in my state about two colleges that want to change their name. Apparently they do not think the word College in their name is prestigious enough, or no longer represents their school. They both want University to replace College and change other words in their name. Me? I am sitting on the sidelines watching the process unfold. My recommendation? Do not change your name.

I hear that people are confused by the current name. Huh? You think you lack brand awareness now? Go for a name change and all of a sudden you go back to the bottom of the pile and are left explaining the name change to confused people. Some of the options under consideration also borrow from names of existing institutions in Colorado. Names like Denver and Western. Try explaining that to prospective students, and upsetting your fellow institutions of higher learning in the state.

Your name is the most valuable asset you have. It is your brand. Why do organizations, including higher education brands, not realize the equity that they have in their name? Why do they want to risk turning brand champions into brand inhibitors? Why do they periodically think that a name change is going to result in a boat-load of more students and donors? It will not. Be comfortable in your own skin.

You are your name, what your name stands for and the associations that people make with you when they see or hear your name. A name change for long established schools does not seem like a sound strategic priority.

Rex Whisman

BrandED Consultants Group

Protect Your Name, It's Your Brand

You probably saw or heard that Sarah Palin is in the process of getting her name trademarked. Some of the people that I have heard have made light of the situation. I am not one of those people. I think Palin is doing what anyone or any business should do. She is protecting her brand. If you do not protect your brand and determine that equity of your brand, someone else will.

A brand is your name, what your name stands for and the associations that people make with your name when they see or hear your name. You have great equity in your name. Sarah Palin has one of the most recognizable brands on the planet. She should attempt to get her brand trademarked. One of the first things I did when I started my company was to begin the process of getting my brand registered.

While it took a bit longer that I had hoped, the efforts paid off. If you have a business, personal brand, tagline or other intellectual property you need to protect. Especially in the age of the Internet. Do not let someone hijack your brand. Having a registered trademark adds value to your brand and ensures greater success in recruiting and retaining brand champions.

Rex Whisman

BrandED Consultants Group

Brand Champion of the Day-Farmers Insurance Group

I might be putting the cart before the horse, but I anticipate the 30 year naming deal that the Farmers Insurance Group just agreed to with Anschutz Entertainment Group, which plans to build a $1 billion  stadium in downtown Los Angeles, will be enough to attract a National Football League team there. I seriously doubt Farmers would have invested if they were not confident that an NFL team would move there. If so, then that could result in a lot of insurance policies, and a lot of brand champions.

The proposed stadium site is next door to the AEG Staples Center and would be named Famers Field. Any interesting play on words. I wonder how many rows of crops could fit inside? Ok, but it makes much more sense than say the University of Phoenix stadium in Phoenix where the Cardinals and bowl games are played. Especially due to the fact that UoP has no football team and to some, very little academic equity in their brand.

For most of my early life as a driver I was a customer of Farmers Insurance Group. Their agents were good people and always willing to go the extra effort. One could say I was a brand champion. Today, the company is worthy of a nod as Brand Champion of the Day.

Rex Whisman

BrandED Consultants Group

 

Championing Brand Education

As many of you know I am a brand strategist and most of my clients are P-20 schools and systems of schools. So when I see a book titled, Education Nation, I am going to check it out. In this case I checked it out and then bought it. This week while flying to and from the east coast of the United States I read the book, and I am glad that I did.

Many of the views expressed by author Milton Chen, we share at the BrandED Consultants Group. You might know Chen from his days as executive director of The George Lucas Educational Foundation. Chen was also a director of research at Sesame Workshop and worked on Sesame Street, The Electric Company and 3-2-1 Contact. He has also been an assistant professor at Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Chen advances the idea that there are six leading edges of innovation in schools, including the edge of thinking, curriculum, technology, time, co-teaching and youth. I will leave the details up to you when you read the book. I am often working on projects that require creating a common language for stakeholders to tell their school's story and I am always seeking ways to leverage innovation when it is an authentic reason to believe in the school or system of school brands.

So I resonated with Chen's views on how to do so with his edges of innovation. I also liked what Chen says about language. In the 21st century he professes that we think about teachers as coaches and students as partners. It seems that every day we hear about education reform. Most have no relevance. I think Chen's book has merit in this regard.

I am confident that Chen understands in the 2st century it is important to develop an education brand strategy to recruit and retain the right students, parents, teachers, investors and others.

Rex Whisman

BrandED Consultants Group